kris

I've been looking through so many past threads on lowering our cars that my head is spinning. This has been going on for a while now and I want to cut it short before my wife finds me unconscious in front of the PC.
As so many here I'm faced with the dilemma of making a choice in brands and styles. My car is approaching 100 thousand miles and this means that the original Boges are on the way out or gone already. I like the idea of lowering a bit (30 mm) but I would hate having to take the whole thing off again after a while as has happened to some here.
The options I'm looking at are:
1/ Eibach Pro + Koni Sport --> 981 euro ( 680£) all included
2/ H&R coil over set --> 1337 euro ( 926 £) all included
3/ H&R Lowering set + Bilstein --> 1300 euro (900£) all included
4/ H&R Lowering set + Koni --> 823 euro (570£) all included
I like the fact that the Eibach only lowers 30 mm compared to the H&R which claims 40 mm.The Koni's seems really cheap compared to others. I cannot find them in the UK for instance, at least not with the usual suspects. Is there a reason for this?
Tx for any feedback.

burgass

Kris,
I have just gone through the same "problems". I have opted for Koni Sports. The reasons are:
- they are adjustable Gives you more room for tweeking in case you run adj sways also.
- the compresion damping on low shock speeds is a bit higher that Bilstein HD. Better turn in responce (I have heard) and the car feels more stable

My car is a early model so the rears were out of production for a long time. I found them from the factory in Holland. In case you settle for Koni call Robert Vanderbrink on +31 186 635500. Great person. He will find what you need

Some more info that might be usefull
- H&R coil over springs have the same rate as the H&R turbo reds. I have the greens and I find them no good if you track the car. I am not sure about the shocks but check the forum for shock rates
- you can control the height by the spring perches
- rear Konis have bigger diameter than Bilstein. Not all springs fit in case you opt for special solutions.

I have personaly made my mind for linear Eibachs (70 mm ID) with RS rates and helper springs. Total price of my package is about 1000 inc 25% VAT. That is because I plan on tracking the car as much as possible. Otherwise I would have opted for the Konis and the red turbo H&R springs.
Cheers

kris

Tx Burgass, mine is a 93 model so this makes it a bit easier to find suitable koni's. Your set-up will be far too stiff for me but I'm sure you're gonna enjoy it on the track. Did you get your stuff in Sweden?
Hejhej,
Kris

burgass

25% VAT. Yes.
Try to get a ride in cars with different set ups. A lot depends on the roads you drive and Benelux has in my opinion good roads. Look at the german ebay. The H&R springs are cheap ther.

garrett376

An adjustable LEDA setup is nice because of its huge range and ease of adjustability - any adjustable shock is great because you can tune it to your liking. And, most systems will use the shorter, smaller springs vs. OEM which are usually quite cheap, like $70US per spring which is not bad at all.

burgass

Sorry, I do not have it. Try the phone. Very nice guy to talk to.

burgass

Will be replacing them in a couple of weeks. Do you mean that you want to buy the old ones?

burgass

I will be in touch.

kris

I spoke too early. The rears (Koni) only go in production again in March. I'll have to wait till then. Nowhere to be found and god knows how many places I've called.

Christer

H&R coilovers are great and with RS bars you probably do not want it much stiffer if the car is used at all on the street. If you are tracking I would go for something stiffer.

Kismet

Hi Kris

I had the suspension changed and lowered on my C4 cabriolet in March 2003. I had previously fitted a front strut brace which was a very worthwhile £120 worth. Remember that after fitting the new suspension you will need to get the geometry reset, mine is now set to about RS spec. I don't track my car and now find that it is far more comfortable under normal driving conditions, the straight line stability at speed is improved and handling is far sharper when I push it. My overall impression is this is how the car should have handled as standard. The costs were as follows:

Item Supplier £
Eibach progressive lowering springs Essential Styling 229.12
Rear Bilstein Sport dampers GT One 329.00
Front Bilstein Sport struts GT One 387.75
Fit and set ride heights GT One 237.94
Geometry set up GT One 185.77
Total 1369.58

PS: this started as a nicely formatted table, but I'm blowed if I can get Rennlist to leave it as such. Is there a trick that I'm missing ?

Marc Shaw

Okay, now I'm sad. I was out admiring the car last night and notice the right rear tire has 1" less clearance in the wheel arch than the others.......new damper/shock time.

Of course, if the dampers go, I might as well do the coils too. It is only sad as I wanted 17" wheels first and it'll be a stretch to spring for for both right away (pun intended ).

Any suggestions? Can I safely re-do the suspension (and lower the car) now then fit 17"'s in with new rubber in the summer?

Thanks...Marc

kris

Tx for the feedback kismet. I took the plunge with the Eibach and Koni sports (delivery only in March). I bought everything in Germany and also have it delivered there at a friend's place, it made a big difference with the local prices.
Marc, if you don't have to do a geometry again when you replace the wheels (don't know if this would be needed) than it wouldn't matter. If otoh you have to the allignment twice it becomes a different matter, especially at the prices I've seen here.

Colin 90 C2

Marc, you can lower your car and change the wheels as necessary. I am now running 16", but was running 17" in the summer. I'm putting off the inevitavble buying of tires until spring.

If you are replacing your struts then it probably will only cost you the price of the springs as the labor should stay the same.

Marc Shaw

Indycam - my impression was a check of ride height was a good way to tell health of dampers. Rear dampers are known to break-down on 964 and I think mine are original (14 years old).

Kris - I would likely do the geometry again to be sure of alignment etc. I am gong to DE in June and want suspension and wheels done by then but want to be sure alignment is correct too.

Colin - that is what I thought but I did not want it lowered too far so the 17's would not fit.

Thanks to all - now I gotta go shopping again!

Marc